Game apparatus



B. ZERENGA.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLxcATloN HLED 11111.14, 1919.

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B. ZERENGA.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIcATIoN FILED IAN. I4, 1919.

Patented June 29, 1920.

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BONAVENTURE ZERENGA, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

GAME APPARATUS.

Application filed January 14, 1919. Serial No. 271,146.

T0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, BoNAvnN'rUnn ZnnuNo/i, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Ap- Jaratus, of which the following is a speci- `cation. Y

This invention has relation to game apparatus, and has for its principal object to provide a miniature ten-pin alley and co operating parts whereby the game of tenpins and modifications thereof may be played with all the pleasure and skill without the use of the full size regulation apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a miniature ten-pin alley embodying an improved means for projecting the pin ball toward the pins.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a miniature ten-'pin alley 'embodying aback stop of a new and novel character whereby the impact of the pin Y ball is received thereon and said pin ball directed back into kthe return channel of the alley.

A still further object of the invention is to provide ay miniature ten-pin alley em-` bodying a novel supporting means in the form of foldable legs designed to securely and rigidly support the alley when in an extended and operative position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a miniature ten-pin alley embodying the improvements and elements mentioned above, all of which are foldable into a small and compact space when the game apparatus is not in use. n n I In addition to the foregoing, this invention comprehends improvements in the details of` construction and arrangement ofr parts,`to be hereinafter described and particularly set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which similar and corresponding parts are designated by the same characters of reference throughout the severalviews in which they appear.

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a preferred form of my game apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in plan of the projector end of the alley.

Fig. 3 is a detail section taken on theline 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section ktaken on the line 1 4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the game apparatus with the legs in a folded po` Vith reference to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive,`

l() indicates the base board of the alley having a strip 11 applied thereto forming the runway and defining channels 12 at opposite sides thereof. Side rails 13 are secured to the longitudinal edges of the base board 1f). Strips 14 are also secured to the underside of the base board 10 and also to the side rails 13. It will be noted that the runway strip 11 terminates a short distance at the rear end of the alley as shown in Fig. 1 to define a space in which to receive the ball and for other purposes to be presently set forth.

At the rear end of the alley there is provided a back stop in the form of a plate 15 supported by a pair of uprights 16, the latter being pivoted as at 17 to a pair of blocks 18 mounted upon the base board 10, whereby, the back stop may be disposed in a vertical position or folded downward to cover the space at the rear of the alley and defined by the termination of said runway 11 as explained above. To support the back stop in a vertical position a pair of braces 19 are pivotally secured at one end to the back stop, and which is provided at their opposite ends with pins 2O which ride in slots 21 formed in blocks 22 applied to the upper edges of the side rails 13. Thus, the back stop may be extended ina vertical position when the apparatus is in use, and preferably inclined slightly forwardly So'as to deflect the pin ball downward when struck thereby. It will also be apparent that when the back stop is in a lowered position it defines an inclosure at the rear end aov of the runway in which the balls and pins may be temporarily stored.

Referring to the forward end of the apparatus with particular reference to Figs. 6 and 7, the projecting apparatus comprises a pair of uprights 23 which are connected at their upper ends by a supporter bar 24 and at intermediate points by an abutment bar 25. The lower end of each upright is formed with a forwardly extending lateral portion 26 which is pivotally connected to the cutaway end of a block 27 of which two are provided, said blocks being secured to the base board 10. Owing to the provision of the lateral portion 2G it will be apparent that the uprights 23 may be folded downwardly and over the blocks 27. To place the uprights 23 in a vertical position a pair of braces 28 are provided having their ends pivotally connected as at 29 to the blocks 27 and their opposite ends notched as at 3() to receive the abutment bar 25. The supporter bar 24 supports a projecting member in the form of a. bar 3l having an opening in one end to receive the bar 24, said opening being slightly larger than the bar so that the said bar may be readily moved along the supporter bar 24. The opposite end of the projecting member 3l is slotted as at 32 and the slotted portion intersected by a cylindrical bore 33 in which the pin ball 34 is placed. A trigger 35 is provided in the form of a strip inserted in the'slot 32 and pivotally mounted therein by means of a pin 36 which passes transversely through the strip and said bar 3l. The strip is formed with a relatively large opening 37 through which a pin 38 projects for the purpose of limiting oscillatory movement of said strip. The forward face of the bar 31 `is formed with a latch 39 which is so located as to receive the abutment bar 25 when the trigger 31 is in a lowered position. It will also be apparent from Fig. G that the upper end of the strip 35 may intersect or extend across said latch 39 while the lower end of the strip engages the pin ball 34. f

In use, the pins indicated at 40 are placed upon the rear end of the runway l1, and the pin ball 34 is inserted in its proper receiving opening` in the trigger bar 31 as shown in Fig. G. Said trigger bar is then raised to a horizontal position, directed forwardly, and said bar moved along the bar 24 according` to the will of the player, and then smartly thrown down thereby engaging the upper end of the trigger number 35 against the abutment bar 25 which projects the lower end of the strip forwardly and kicks the ball 34 along the runway.

For supporting the game apparatus just described'I preferably use the apparatus shown in Figs. 'l and 5 which consists of a pair of plates or boards 41 hingedly conbraces indicated at 45 may be extended to retain the supporting members in rigid po sition. Each brace 45 is pivoted to its respective member 4l and its opposite end is provided with a pin 46 designed to enter an opening in a block 47 of which a pair are provided. then the legs are in a folded position as shown in Fig. 5 a pivoted latch member 47 is provided and engages one of the legs 44 of each pair.

I have illustrated in Figs. 8, 10 and ll of the drawings amodied form of alley construction in which the runway 48 is mounted at its edges upon a pair of longitudinal strips 49 having the side rails 50 secured thereto. rfhe runway 48 terminates short of the rear end of the strip 49 and the latter cut away as at 51 defining a space in which to receive the ball after the same has been projected. A plate 52 is secured to the underside of the strip 49 at the rear end of the alley as shown. The strips 49k are also braced together by means of cross bars 53, said crossbars and strip being held together by means of corrugated fasteners 54 as shown. Short cleats 55. are secured to the cross pieces 53' intermediate the ends `ofy the alley foi` the purpose to be presently noted. I have shown in Fig. 8 a modified form of back stop in which the lower end thereof is provided with forwardly extending lateral portions 56 which are pivotally connected to blocks 57 mounted upon the upper end of the strip 49, thereby permitting the back stop to be folded downwardly in the manner similar to the manner in which the projecting apparatus described above is formed;

I have also illustrated in Figs. 9 and 11 a modified form of supporting means consistingl of a pair of cross legs 58 which are connected by means of an eye bolt 59. One leg is provided with a block @Oat its upper end which is hingedly connected to the underside of one strip 49, the upper end of the other leg 5S being directly connected by means of a yhinge connection to the other of said strips 49. The legs may thus be folded relative to the alley structure although not relative to each other as in the case of the supporting means described above. As a brace I provide a bar 61 having an eye 62 at one endk interconnected with the eye bolt 59, and its other end designed to engage in the space between` the end of the cleat 55 and the adjacent strip 49.

IVhile I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity, I realize that in practice various alterations therein may be made. I there' fore reserve the right and privilege of changing the form of the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts without de parting from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a game apparatus, a rod circular in cross section, a vertical bar depending from said rod for oscillation and having an opening larger in diameter than the diameter of the rod, said bar having its lower end slotted for a portion of its length to deine a pair of parallel members, said members being both provided with semi-circular recesses upon their adjacent faces to receive a spherical member therein, and both of said members being provided with transverse alined notches, and a trigger pivotally mounted in said members adapted to engage the spherical member at one end and to intersect the notches at the opposite end, and an abutment bar positioned to engage the trigger and enter both of said notches when the bar is thrown thereagainst, whereby to cause said bar to assume a substantially vertical position as the bar enters the notches.

2. In a game apparatus, a game board, a back stop pivotally mounted thereon for vertical movement, a pair of slotted blocks mounted on the board, and a pair of braces pivotally connected to the back stop and having pins to enter slots of the block, said slots being of such a length as to limit the position of the back stop to a slight forward inclination to redirect an object thrown thereagainst.

In testimony whereof I aiiix mv signature.

BONAVENTURE ZE'RENGA. 

